The US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.
The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue. The ban was championed by Vern Buchanan, a Republican congressman from Florida who often focuses on animal rights issues.
Buchanan’s office said the defense department will continue to allow training that involves stabbing, burning and using blunt instruments on animals, while also allowing “weapon wounding”, which is when the military tests weapons on animals. Animal rights groups say the animals are supposed to be anesthetized during such training and testing.
What? No. They used animals for medic training. The animals are completely out and feel no pain, it’s for medics to learn on live flesh and blood injuries. Simulators are just as good now, so it’s surprising they still did this in some trainings but this wasn’t a “the military just blasted live animals as shooting practice”
Last sentence in the body of the post. You didn’t even have to fully open the damn article.
It’s says it in the first sentence of the article …
Correct, for medics. They sedate the animals and then shoot them. They wouldn’t be able to do anything medic wise on an animal that’s been shot. Especially a pig. They’re going to be insanely hard to catch. I don’t know where you’re getting that they just shoot them for target practice.